Cuba ( Republica de Cuba) is a country in Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida. Cuba geographic coordinates 21 30 N, 80 00 W; area 110,860 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; land boundaries Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba; coastline 3,735 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; climate tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October); terrain mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast; elevation extremes Pico Turquino 2,005 m; natural resources cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land; land use 7.6%; irrigated land 870 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages ab; environment current issues air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation; environment international agreements Marine Life Conservation; geography note largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles;

introduction

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule was severe and exploitative and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 1,498 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2004. government type Communist state; capital Havana; administrative divisions 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara; independence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); national holiday Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US; constitution 24 February 1976, amended July 1992 and June 2002; legal system based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 16 years of age; universal;

people

Cuba population 11,346,670 (July 2005 est.); age structure 10.4% (male 540,720/female 633,966) (2005 est.); median age 35.98 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 0.33% (2005 est.); birth rate 12.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 7.11 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 79.65 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate less than 0.1% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 3,300 (2003 est.); hiv deaths less than 200 (2003 est.); nationality Cuban; ethnic groups mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%; religions nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented; languages Spanish; literacy 97%; people note illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miam;

Regions

Cities